A YOUTUBE video starring a woman from Hitchin has received more than 1 million views in less than a week.
Terema Wainwright, 25, starred in a Welsh parody of Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’ hit song Empire State of Mind and has become an overnight sensation on the internet.
Terema Wainwright
The original song praises the virtues of living in New York, the spoof version featuring Terema alongside actor Alex Warren, 24, tell of their love of Newport in South Wales, gently ribbing the Welsh city.
Hundreds of thousands of people have watched it online and it has received acclaim from Radio One breakfast DJ Chris Moyles, singer Lily Allen and TV personality Stephen Fry.
Terema, who recently graduated from the Market Theatre in Hitchin, said: “It’s been amazing, I’ve had to keep pinching myself to make sure it’s real.
“We put the video up on Tuesday and it’s been crazy the response we’ve received.
“It all started when Lily Allen tweeted about the video on Twitter and then people started watching it and it’s grown from there. We’ve now even had people like Stephen Fry comment on it.”
Terema, who also runs a performing arts group for youngsters under five called Singing Starlets, grew up in Wales and got involved with the project by applying online.
She added: “We have been so lucky with BBC Breakfast and GMTV wanting to talk to us and now we are about to go into a meeting with Universal Records and are discussing making it into a single.
“It’s unbelievable, people are now even saying that it could hit Number 1! I’d be happy if it even made it in the charts. It’s been a real rollercoaster of an experience, its great.”
The director of the video, M-J Delaney, wrote the lyrics and the group are now due to perform the spoof at Newport City Radio’s Rock Out next week.